Disclaimer: In my bio...

A.N.: Yes, I know, I know, I'm a horrible, horrible person... School sent my muse into a coma, and it has just made a recovery because finals are finally over! Yay!

Alrighty, this is the long, long, loooong awaited continuation of 'Comfort Food' that my lazy/brain dead muse finally inspired, but as I said, it's a different P.O.V.; slightly angsty (which seems to be an unconscious requirement for anything I write), but comes off mostly positive... I think... so, yeah...

I now present Kagome's thoughts concerning food.

Bon appetite! (Enjoy!)

0000000000

Comfort Food:

Satisfaction

0000000000

Ever since I was really little, my favorite room in the house has always been the kitchen. Wonderful smells of simmering main courses or baking deserts. Sneaking bites of yummy things when no one's looking- all in the name of 'tasting', of course. And the wonderful, laughing, crowded but somehow still calm atmosphere. People are always so happy there. Stuffed full and so contented. It's just a great place to be.

And do you know how much you can learn about people, just by paying attention to the food they eat? Like my little brother Souta- he thinks that most 'delicacies' are disgustingly gross, but he'll chow down on most any greasy packaged or bagged food you can find. Most kids are like that, I guess- they don't care about how expensive something is or how important it makes you seem; all that matters is the taste.

And my grandpa, always telling my mother to stick to traditional recipes (and telling extensive stories about their history) - but I see him sneaking potato chips every once in awhile. Lovable old hypocrite. Though he did try to exorcise the microwave once...

And my friends back in the Feudal Era- who don't even know about microwaves- can be pretty interesting too. Take Miroku, for instance. He's lactose intolerant, but it took me forever to find out because he's just so polite- he's always appreciative of everything you give him, even if he can't eat it. And he never even asks for something different, just so he won't inconvenience you.

And Sango- she really took to anything spicy that I brought through the well. In fact, we always laugh because she'll see how long she can go without taking a drink after eating that stuff, only to end up gulping down gallons of water or tons of starches afterwards.

She likes to test herself, I guess. Not to mention that she can cook with the best of them- but then again, all girl in this era (demon slayers or not) are taught how to cook by their mothers at a very early age.

Oh, then there's my mom. She just eats whatever she makes, and she makes whatever we like, whether she wants it or not. That's what makes her a great mom. Not to mention she's a great cook, too.

I've never really liked cooking much. Why spend all that time and energy preparing food while having to restrain yourself from eating it all? Seriously, chefs must have the patience of gods. Not that cooking isn't nice sometimes.

I remember, when I was maybe three or four, Mama and I used to make cookies for my dad. We'd spend all day in a kitchen, just making a bigger and bigger mess, laughing and eating most of whatever didn't end up on the outside of the bowls.

By dinner time, only about half the ingredients would have made it into the actual cookies, and everyone would smell them and I'd be trying to choke down just enough of my vegetables to be allowed to have some for dessert.

And no matter how bad they were, everyone would smile and 'yum' and ask for another when I passed them out.

That tradition kind of died with my dad.

Well, nobody ever 'yum's when I cook for them anymore- it's mostly just good-natured teasing. Without proper supervision and good instructions, I can burn water.

Not to say I can't provide food for my friends, I just can's have any part in cooking it other than to pour hot water into the ramen cups.

Still, Shippou loves the sweets I bring him, even if I can't give him too many. Shippou mixed with any large amount of caffeine or sugar is never a good thing. But then he just uses that cute little pouting/pleading look that I can never resist and I end up having a sugar-rushed caffeinated kitsune to chase after all day anyway.

But it makes me feel good, to know that I'm the one to give him something he loves so much. Not that I'm on a power-trip or anything, but I just love watching the way his eyes light up when he's unwrapping some new or favorite kind of candy that I've brought just for him.

I wish some people could at least pretend to be as grateful. I mean, really, one of the few times that I actually get a chance to cook for them and I didn't screw it up (thanks to Mama hovering over my shoulder the whole time, of course), Inuyasha has the nerve to- to- just- ugh! I spent all that time and effort to do something nice for them- for him- and he just goes and criticizes! And even when he's trying to apologize (well, as close as Inuyasha ever gets to apologizing), he just ends up insulting me more!

Well, I guess it's not really his fault that his favorite part of the meal was something I only bought and didn't make... but still!

Of course, you have to be careful what you give Inuyasha to eat. He tends to gobble up whatever I give him, regardless of temperature or taste (at first, anyway). That's not very surprising, though, considering that his body is about the equivalent of a teenage boy's (okay, a super powered teenage boy's) and how skinny I've noticed he is when I'm bandaging him up. He doesn't take very good care of himself.

I've noticed something else too. Ever since the whole 'Curry Incident' back in my time- where Inuyasha ate a little of my mom's curry (which is hot, but not that hot) and screamed like she had tried to shove hot coals down his throat- I've been thinking: Inuyasha has this great sense of smell, right? And they say that smell and taste are linked, right? So, if he smells things better, wouldn't he taste them stronger as well?

The answer: yes. Oops. Note to self: better stick to the mild stuff from now on... and resist the temptation for practical jokes...

Anyway, besides that one time, he's never complained about my mom's cooking. He sure likes it better than mine. She's tried to teach me more, but... let's just say, that some people are born to do things, and some people are born not to do things. Cooking is not one of my things. And on top of that, I would never have time to actually learn anything. Between school and the Feudal Era, I barely have enough time to bathe in my own home before I'm late for something and being carted off to go do something else.

It took me awhile, but now I realize: I want to learn how to cook. I like to see the looks on everyone's faces when I bring new 'futuristic' food through the well; Shippou's excitement, Miroku's appreciation, Sango's interest, and especially the way Inuyasha pretends not to care, but 'inconspicuously' sniffs to see what kind of ramen or potato chips I brought.

My favorite part, though, is right as I'm giving Inuyasha his food. Even though he's probably spent the last few minutes whining about how slow I'm being or asking 'Is it ready yet?' over and over, when I hand him that bowl, he doesn't say 'thank you', but... there's a second where he just gets quiet... and there's this look in his eyes... It's like this cheap store-bought stuff is the greatest thing in the world, and he can't believe that I'm actually giving it to him.

In these moments, I like to let myself pretend- just for half a second- that that look in his eyes means that Inuyasha loves me.

And then he starts stuffing his face- sometimes not even bothering to chew- and the moment is gone, and I feel like a stupid, lovesick, naive little teenage girl again.

But that doesn't mean that look wasn't there. It doesn't erase the emotions in his eyes. Maybe not quite love, but... thankfulness.

The kitchen has always been a place of love and contentment in my house, but now I realize- the place doesn't matter. What matters is that everyone is together, around the stove or the campfire, and that they're happy.

Now I understand why everyone loves cooking so much. It feels good to see everyone so satisfied.

Owari

0000000000

A.N.: Aww... Now I feel all warm and fuzzy inside... Must be the Christmas season... Oh, yeah...

Have a happy holiday of your choosing, if indeed you choose to celebrate a holiday at all!

Wow- overly politically correct, I know. It's kind of a running inside joke.

So, anyway, shorter than the last one, but I'm a one-shot kinda girl and anything more usually feels forced, but I felt like ya'll deserved some more, so be grateful I could even get this much out...

Leave a review- it can be your Christmas gift to me! Or you could just get me a pony instead...

Again, I ask for any OOC alerts...

Thanks for reading!

Peace and love,

Movie-CaffineAddict